One of the greatest tragedies in this area is not the spill, but the lingering evidence that the government abandoned Plaquemines Parish in the recovery after Katrina. It is quite common to see vacant lots with only a foundation left, and some with toys and other belongings there which were just abandoned after the storm. This is the parish where Katrina hit land and according to some residents, was at points under 20 feet of water.
While we are trying to collect information about how this community has been affected by the oil spill, the major defining moment in many people’s lives here is Katrina. The oil spill is a much distant second, or not so far removed if the person you are talking to works in the fishing industry (which many do). Some folks we talked to don’t work in the oil or fishing industry, or work on the outskirts of it, and don’t see the spill as more than a blip on their radar screen. For others, like the fishermen, it is just another catastrophe in a long line of disasters.
